Updating iLO Firmware on Vanilla ESXi Builds

A while back I needed to update the iLO firmware in my environment. Unfortunately, the HP VMware recipe called for a version that was newer than what was included with the latest Service Pack for Proliant (SPP). No big deal. I downloaded the online ROM flash utility and when I ran it I received the following error:

ERROR: Can not find iLO on the server.

We’re running the generic ESXi build, not the HP build, so we’re missing out on some of the offline bundles that would otherwise help us to get the job done. But don’t be discouraged, there’s another way to update your iLO firmware.

What you’ll need:

The latest SPP iso available from HP (active warranty/support agreement with HP is required to download)